Comments
I have received an email about a lottery. They mean that i have won 500 000.00 usd and want me to get in touch with halifax bank plc london. What is this about?
Lottery Scam Email:
AUSTRALIA LOTTERY INC.
"Barry T. Standford", "Barrister Duke Nelson"
Have you received an email from "Barry T. Standford" at "AUSTRALIA LOTTERY INC." telling you that "your email address won in the second category" or something similar, and to contact "Barrister Duke Nelson" to collect your winnings? It is a scam. No legitimate, legal lottery notifies winners via email (see footnote) The scammers may change the names and details, but it is still a scam!
Below is another example of a fake lottery; this email claims to be from the "AUSTRALIA LOTTERY INC.". Also see this page for the reply from the scammers, "MR.RICHARD OKORO"
Although the most important clue is that no legitimate lottery will ever email a winner, there are many other signs that this is a fraud. We have highlighted some of these in the email below, not the least of which are:
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Email address ballot: There is no such thing as a "computer ballot system" or "computer email draw". No one, not even Microsoft has a database of email addresses of the type or magnitude they suggest.
*
Terrible spelling, punctuation, syntax and grammar - Scammers apparently don't know how to use spell checkers. We assume they dropped out of school before that class. They use almost excessive and random CapItaLiZAtion. They often can't even spell "February" or know that "22th" ought to be "22nd". These scammers usually write at the 3rd grade level. Being non-native English speakers, they also often get first names and surnames (last names reversed), so you will frequently see names like "Mr. SMITH JAMES.", instead of "Mr. James Smith", along with the peculiar usage of periods (full stops) and spaces or the lack thereof. Real lotteries also proofread their emails and look and read more professional.
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Using free email account: The scammer is writing to you from a FREE email account (Yahoo, Hotmail, Excite, AIM, Gmail, etc.). Don't you think a real organization would use its own email, its own domain and website?
*
Keep Confidential - Real lotteries THRIVE on publicity - they don't want you to keep anything secret - the publicity causes people to buy more tickets. there is NO risk of "double claiming" because they can validate where the ticket numbers were sold. The scammer want you to keep quiet because they don't want the police or ConsumerFraudreporting to hear about them! It should read: "For our own security, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential until we have finished scamming you!"
*
Email notification: NO REAL LOTTERY SENDS AN EMAIL TO NOTIFY WINNERS. Period. Full-stop. End of story. There mere fact ALONE that you received an email saying you won a lottery is proof that it is a scam.
Here is a typical scam lottery winning notification.
*
Master list of sample lottery scam emails
*
How to recognize a lottery scam
*
What to do if you think you have been the victim of a lottery scam
*
How the lottery / sweepstakes scams work
Actual scam email (One example - the scammers constantly change names, dates and addresses!):
"AUSTRALIA LOTTERY INC" < [protected]@australianlotto.com >
AUSTRALIA LOTTERY INC.
5th Floor East
Commonwealth Centre
55 Currie Street
Adelaide SA 5000,
South Australia.
WINNING NOTIFICATION
We are delighted to inform you of the result of the E-mail address ballot lottery draw of the Australian cash-out lotto bv international programme, which took place on the 9th March 2007.This is a computer generated lottery of Internet users using email addresses for draws.
This lotto draw is fully based on an electronic selection of winners using their e-mail addresses from different World Wide Web (www) sites. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number:[protected] with Serial number 8756-05 drew the lucky numbers and bonus ball number which subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd category.
You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum o[censored]S$250,000.00 (TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND U.S DOLLARS) in cash credit file ref:ILP/HW 47509/02.
This is from the total cash prize o[censored]S$2,000,000 Million Dollars, shared amongst the first Ten (10) lucky winners in this category. All participant were selected randomly through a computer balloting system drawn from Nine hundred thousand E-mail addresses from Canada, Australia, United States, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Oceania as part of our international promotions programme which is conducted annually.
This Lottery is being promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of Multinational companies as part of their social responsibility to the citizens in the communities where they have operational base.
Further more your details(e-mail address) falls within our European representative office in African Nigeria, as indicated in your play coupon and your prize o[censored]S$250,000.00 will be released to you from our regional branch office in WEST AFRICA.We hope with part of your prize, you will participate in our end of year high stakes for US$1.3 Billion international draw. Our agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you contact him.
HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE:
Simply contact your claims agent, Barrister Duke Nelson at email: ( [protected]@yahoo.com ) by filling this form below and send it to him to file for your claim .
LOTTERY WINNERS APPLICATION FORM OF PAYMENT.
FULLNAME.................................................
DATE OF BIRTH..................................
ADDRESS..................................................
SEX......................... AGE..................................
MARITAL STATUS...................................
NATIONALITY...........................................
OCCUPATION...........................................
TELEPHONE..........................................
FAX......................................................
EMAIL.................................................
DATE......................................................
AUSTRALIA LOTTERY INC.
"Barry T. Standford", "Barrister Duke Nelson"
Have you received an email from "Barry T. Standford" at "AUSTRALIA LOTTERY INC." telling you that "your email address won in the second category" or something similar, and to contact "Barrister Duke Nelson" to collect your winnings? It is a scam. No legitimate, legal lottery notifies winners via email (see footnote) The scammers may change the names and details, but it is still a scam!
Below is another example of a fake lottery; this email claims to be from the "AUSTRALIA LOTTERY INC.". Also see this page for the reply from the scammers, "MR.RICHARD OKORO"
Although the most important clue is that no legitimate lottery will ever email a winner, there are many other signs that this is a fraud. We have highlighted some of these in the email below, not the least of which are:
*
Email address ballot: There is no such thing as a "computer ballot system" or "computer email draw". No one, not even Microsoft has a database of email addresses of the type or magnitude they suggest.
*
Terrible spelling, punctuation, syntax and grammar - Scammers apparently don't know how to use spell checkers. We assume they dropped out of school before that class. They use almost excessive and random CapItaLiZAtion. They often can't even spell "February" or know that "22th" ought to be "22nd". These scammers usually write at the 3rd grade level. Being non-native English speakers, they also often get first names and surnames (last names reversed), so you will frequently see names like "Mr. SMITH JAMES.", instead of "Mr. James Smith", along with the peculiar usage of periods (full stops) and spaces or the lack thereof. Real lotteries also proofread their emails and look and read more professional.
*
Using free email account: The scammer is writing to you from a FREE email account (Yahoo, Hotmail, Excite, AIM, Gmail, etc.). Don't you think a real organization would use its own email, its own domain and website?
*
Keep Confidential - Real lotteries THRIVE on publicity - they don't want you to keep anything secret - the publicity causes people to buy more tickets. there is NO risk of "double claiming" because they can validate where the ticket numbers were sold. The scammer want you to keep quiet because they don't want the police or ConsumerFraudreporting to hear about them! It should read: "For our own security, you are advised to keep your winning information confidential until we have finished scamming you!"
*
Email notification: NO REAL LOTTERY SENDS AN EMAIL TO NOTIFY WINNERS. Period. Full-stop. End of story. There mere fact ALONE that you received an email saying you won a lottery is proof that it is a scam.
Here is a typical scam lottery winning notification.
*
Master list of sample lottery scam emails
*
How to recognize a lottery scam
*
What to do if you think you have been the victim of a lottery scam
*
How the lottery / sweepstakes scams work
Actual scam email (One example - the scammers constantly change names, dates and addresses!):
"AUSTRALIA LOTTERY INC" < [protected]@australianlotto.com >
AUSTRALIA LOTTERY INC.
5th Floor East
Commonwealth Centre
55 Currie Street
Adelaide SA 5000,
South Australia.
WINNING NOTIFICATION
We are delighted to inform you of the result of the E-mail address ballot lottery draw of the Australian cash-out lotto bv international programme, which took place on the 9th March 2007.This is a computer generated lottery of Internet users using email addresses for draws.
This lotto draw is fully based on an electronic selection of winners using their e-mail addresses from different World Wide Web (www) sites. Your e-mail address attached to ticket number:[protected] with Serial number 8756-05 drew the lucky numbers and bonus ball number which subsequently won you the lottery in the 2nd category.
You have therefore been approved to claim a total sum o[censored]S$250,000.00 (TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND U.S DOLLARS) in cash credit file ref:ILP/HW 47509/02.
This is from the total cash prize o[censored]S$2,000,000 Million Dollars, shared amongst the first Ten (10) lucky winners in this category. All participant were selected randomly through a computer balloting system drawn from Nine hundred thousand E-mail addresses from Canada, Australia, United States, Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Oceania as part of our international promotions programme which is conducted annually.
This Lottery is being promoted and sponsored by a conglomerate of Multinational companies as part of their social responsibility to the citizens in the communities where they have operational base.
Further more your details(e-mail address) falls within our European representative office in African Nigeria, as indicated in your play coupon and your prize o[censored]S$250,000.00 will be released to you from our regional branch office in WEST AFRICA.We hope with part of your prize, you will participate in our end of year high stakes for US$1.3 Billion international draw. Our agent will immediately commence the process to facilitate the release of your funds as soon as you contact him.
HOW TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE:
Simply contact your claims agent, Barrister Duke Nelson at email: ( [protected]@yahoo.com ) by filling this form below and send it to him to file for your claim .
LOTTERY WINNERS APPLICATION FORM OF PAYMENT.
FULLNAME.................................................
DATE OF BIRTH..................................
ADDRESS..................................................
SEX......................... AGE..................................
MARITAL STATUS...................................
NATIONALITY...........................................
OCCUPATION...........................................
TELEPHONE..........................................
FAX......................................................
EMAIL.................................................
DATE......................................................
Hello. 3 weeks ago, I was informed that I had won $500,000,00uds in the Astralian Lottery. My claim Agent was Dr. Mohammad Hossain. As I could not go there to recieve the prize, he directed me to a barrister, ENYIOMA UDE W., to get my work done. I paid one third of the barrister's balance at first ($1200) and asked to pay the rest of the balance after getting my prize and I was told that I can have the prize within 24 hours.
But two days later I was asked to pay $2950 for Affidavit and Police Extract. Again I paid the money but the next day I was told that they can not release the money to the my account. So I opened a new account in another bank. Again I was told that they are unable to release the money in my new account and the only way is to open a new account for me in the Oceanic Bank and asked me to pay $2100 for opening a new account and I paid the money. They opened a new account in Nigeria for me and now I am asked to pay $800 so they can send me my ATM card that is to be recieved within 3 days.
Several times during this process I felt that I am decieved. I was to recieve my prize within 48 hours but now 2 weeks has passed. I have paid lots of money several times and have not recieved a penny yet. I think my rights are violated. Why didn't they release the money to my own account in my own country, Iran?
It was my right to know from the very beginning about the process and possible expenses. I'm sure if I had come there, it would have cost me less money. My family and I spent all our savings over this lottery and not even a penny is left for us. I have lost all my trust and not sure about the reality of the lottery, though i have recieved my code lots of forms and licences. Even if it is true, we cannot afford $800 to get the ATM card and it is not my fault because at first I was told just to pay for the barrister not anything else. I think my rights are violated. Please tell me what to do.I also attach some of the forms andlicences i've recieved.
Yours,
Malihe